Fusion-Driven Rocket

Space is pretty darn big. If we’re going to explore more of it, we’re going to need something more efficient than liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. That’s where magneto-inertial fusion comes in. Sound complicated? It is. Researcher John Slough is figuring out how to heat and compress magnetized plasma to fusion conditions, which would heat propellant through a magnetized nozzle. All you need to know is that it will make rockets go fast, cutting down trips to Mars from 18 months to around 30 days.